Chapter 16
On a very chilly day in December, Kara stood in front of the mirror and stared at her image, her eyes dazed, her hands trembling slightly.
She had spent the night at the manor, much to Zane's annoyance, but his mother and sister had insisted that they throw her a bridal shower.
So, Abigail and her mother had also been invited.
Last night had been enjoyable, instead of stiff and uncomfortable. Both Michelle and Zoe had made everyone feel at home.
The dress was a Romano's original. The look of it, the style, made it worth every penny she had spent for it, and that was something she had insisted on when the Stanhope family had ganged up on her and wanted to pay for it.
They were funding the wedding, with her mother contributing to a few things. Kara had stood her ground.
"I'm paying for my dress."
Her fiancé had muttered something about being as stubborn as a mule, but she had gotten her way.
The dress was a champagne-colored, stunning Venetian lace all the way from bodice to ankles.
Even though the skirt was narrow, the material was so soft and flexible it allowed her to move.
The back dipped to the waist and flowed out several feet behind her in soft and filmy chiffon, attached by discreet detachable hooks.
Zane had gifted her with another heirloom.
Lifting a hand, she traced the magnificent sapphire and diamond necklace that shimmered and flashed at her throat.
Matching earrings were at her lobes. Long gloves, the exact shade of her dress, covered her arms to the elbows.
Her hair was professionally styled, teased, and brushed back from her face, the colors brightened.
Zoe had just left after bringing her a glass of champagne to toast the journey. She and Abigail were her only attendants. Zoe had chosen a stunning ice-blue dress, and Abigail plum rose.
A movement inside the doorway caught her eye.
"Mother." She turned to watch the woman hesitating inside the doorway. Katherine Saunders was wearing a tailored suit in teal blue. The suit should have looked severe, but it suited her.
"You look-" Easing out a breath, Katherine shook her head and smiled. "You make a very stunning bride. I have this, something borrowed and blue." She came forward. "It belonged to your father's mother and was given to me on my wedding day. I'm not sure it goes with the rest of the jewelry."
"I'm sure we can make it work." Kara knew she was trying to make amends, but they were not there yet.
She knew her mother's attempt at reconciliation had something to do with what Zane had said to her, but questioning had gotten her nowhere.
The man was as tight-lipped as a clam and would not budge.
"I handled it," he had said. "Leave it at that. "
"It's a sapphire pendant. Where-"
"Oh! It's lovely. Let's-" She pointed to her left breast and stood still as her mother pinned it on.
"It suits you." Stepping back, Katherine studied the overall effect and felt a strange twinge inside her heart. She had meant what she said before. Kara made an incredibly lovely bride.
"I would like to walk you down the aisle-"
"The wedding is being held in the ballroom. There's no aisle," Kara reminded her.
"I know that." Katherine waved an impatient hand, still irked that her daughter had refused to have a church wedding. But she had put that behind her. She wanted to mend fences. "I would like to walk you inside that ballroom when you go to meet your groom. Kara-" She had to take a breath.
"I know things have been strained between us for a long time, but I'm trying to make a difference. He loves you." She still wasn't able to say his name just yet. "I've seen the way he looks at you and-" She pressed a hand to her bosom.
The man stared at her daughter as if she were the only one in the room and no one else existed. With all his tattoos and belligerent attitude, Katherine knew that he would always stand with her daughter, no matter what. "He loves you."
Kara's smile bloomed. "He does, and I love him so much it hurts." She pressed a hand to her chest. "If you don't know him, you'd think differently, but he's caring and considerate and always puts my needs first. He's a wonderful man."
"Yes," she acknowledged. "I'm big enough to accept when I'm wrong. And I was." Taking a breath, she held out a hand. "Please allow me the honor of walking with you to take the most important step in your life."
Swallowing the lump, she took the hand and squeezed, just as Zoe came in.
"It's time." Her tawny eyes took in the joined hands, and she nodded in approval. At least they were bridging the gap. "Your groom is chafing at the bit."
With a laugh, Kara declared, "Let's not keep him waiting."
*****
He had thought he was prepared for the first time he saw her walking toward him in her wedding dress, but he was wrong.
He briefly took in the mother walking next to her, but he could not take his eyes off the vision floating toward him.
She could not be real. He heard the gasp going through the crowd as they stared at her, but as far as he was concerned, she was the only one in the room. No one else mattered.
Leaving his place at the front of the room, he walked toward her with arms outstretched. With a brief nod to Katherine, he took his bride's hands and simply stood there gazing at her.
"Why do I get the feeling you're going to disappear on me? How can you possibly be real?" His voice throbbed with emotions so raw, it threatened to break.
"I'm flesh and blood, and I'm about to marry the man I love."
"Forever, until death. A hundred years will never be enough. You're the most beautiful woman in the world."
"Zane-" Her throat was swollen, and the rest of the words would not come.
Lifting her gloved hand, he kissed it, eyes trained on her, everything he was feeling clear. It swamped her and threatened to overwhelm her.
The minister cleared his throat, breaking the spell surrounding them. "I have a feeling that whatever I have to say at this time is anticlimactic. It seems the couple has already made their vows."
The room erupted in laughter and had Zane grinning. Tucking her hand through his arm, he guided her toward the front.
*****
"We're in Jamaica!" Kara turned to her husband, an enraptured expression on her face.
Even on the plane ride on the company's private jet, he had refused to disclose their location.
They had left the chilly December weather to land at the private airstrip, and even then, she hadn't a clue where they were.
Now they were standing on the porch of the charming stucco villa in Negril. The villa was situated right near the beach, where the bluest water seemed to meld with the color of the sky. And the family owned the villa.
"We're in Jamaica." Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist. The late afternoon sun caught the glint of his wedding ring.
They had eaten their fill of pineapple, so sweet it scratched the throat, and mangoes that had Kara gorging herself.
She declared to her husband that she was going to eat everything.
Their housekeeper, a buxom-looking woman with the unmistakable island cheer and thick accent, had already prepared their meal of curried goat and white rice with some callaloo for the vegetable.
"You need meat on dem bones," she told Kara before she left. "Me will see to it."
"She's going to have me gaining twenty pounds."
"Fat will look good on you," her husband told her with a grin. "I thought we decided you were going to be naked."
"I almost am." Her swimwear was electric blue and very skimpy. Along with his sister, he had secretly ordered the things she would need for the trip and packed them himself.
"Two glorious weeks in paradise! Oh, darling, look at that sunset! I need pictures, lots and lots of pictures. The camera-"
"First." Spinning her around, he closed his mouth over hers and had her entire thought process jangling. With a sigh, she wrapped her hands around his neck and leaned into the kiss.
They were husband and wife. She now bore his name, Kara Stanhope, and was wearing his ring. They had made vows to each other, potent ones that had her eyes tearing. Her emotions were seesawing. One minute she felt like laughing, and the next she was weeping.
His lips roamed over hers, and he felt the drunken punch of passion that always staggered him. With her slender curves pressed to his, he had to resist the urge to simply drag her to the tiled floor and have his way with her.
Dragging his mouth from hers, he clamped his arms around her and tried to control his rampaging desire. It was ridiculous how much he wanted her. Being married had not slowed that down one bit.
"All right." He took a breath. "I think a dip in the water will be enough to cool me down." Kissing her on the forehead, he deliberately moved away and went inside to grab towels.
Kara leaned against the wooden railing to keep her wobbly knees from giving way. Pressing a hand to her jittery stomach, she sighed.
"Ready?" He came back armed with a picnic basket Eileen had packed and several fluffy towels.
"What's in that?" she asked, pointing to the basket.
"Lots of goodies." Taking her hand, he dragged her down the steps and ran with her over the soft white sand.
Dumping the things a few feet away from the gently rushing water, he headed toward the beckoning waves with her hand clasped firmly in his.
"It's warm."
"And we're isolated." He waded out until the water reached his waist. "I didn't even ask. Can you swim?"
"And if I say no?" she asked archly, skimming the water through her fingers.
"I would have to divorce you. I'm a fish." He demonstrated by sinking below the surface.
"Show off," she muttered. She exhibited a shallow dive that brought her a few feet under. It felt wonderful! She screamed when he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her even further down.
"Good. At least you won't drown." Lifting her in his arms, he waded out into the deep and left her to dive under.